What Is Mold?Molds are a form of fungi that grow naturally and play a key role in decomposition outdoors. Molds are typically found in soil, plants, and dead or decaying matter. Molds survive by absorbing whatever material they are growing on. Indoors, however, molds can pose a potential threat to your home or building and your health. Much like a plant spreads its seeds, molds give off spores to reproduce. These spores land on moist areas indoors and outdoors and begin to thrive. Molds have a potential to harm the structures they live on and the persons residing in them. An evaluation of the areas and moisture control along with proper remediation is essential to protecting your health and your home.

How can Mold be Harmful and/or Dangerous?Mold can grow on virtually any organic material as long as moisture and oxygen are present. There are molds that grow on wood, paper, carpet, food, and insulation. Because mold eats or digests what it is growing on, it can damage a building and its furnishings. If left unchecked, mold eventually can cause structural damage to building materials. All molds have the potential to cause health problems. Once molds begin to grow indoors, a musty odor is observed followed by a variety of different symptoms such as headaches, breathing difficulties, allergic reactions, skin irritation, or elevated asthma. All of these are dependent on the person, the type of mold, and the building itself.
You can prevent damage to buildings and building contents, save money, and avoid potential health problems by controlling moisture and eliminating mold growth.

Where is Mold Commonly Found?Even if you can't see it, you may suspect mold by a musty odor. You may also suspect hidden mold if you know there has been a water problem in the building and its occupants are reporting health problems. Mold can grow anywhere when the moisture conditions permit.
Mold can occur due to many types of leaks; leaking roofs, leaking or condensing water pipes, especially pipes inside wall cavities or pipe chases, leaking fire-protection sprinkler systems, landscaping, gutters, and down spouts that direct water into or under a building. High humidity (> 60% relative humidity) can also be a culprit. Unvented combustion appliances such as clothes dryers vented into a garage. Some moisture problems are not easy to see. For example, the inside of walls where pipes and wires are run are common sites of mold growth. Mold is frequently found on walls in cold corners behind furniture where condensation forms. Other possible locations of hidden moisture, resulting in hidden mold growth are: poorly draining condensate drain pains inside air handling units, porous thermal or acoustic liners inside duct work, roof materials above ceiling tiles, the back side of drywall (also known as gypsum board, wallboard, or SHEETROCKÂ®), paneling and wallpaper and the underside of carpets and pads.

Remediation Procedure

Remediation (remedying) includes both the identification and correction of the conditions that permit mold growth, as well as the steps to safely and effectively remove mold damaged materials. The remediation plan includes steps to permanently correct the water or moisture problem and carefully contains and removes moldy building materials in a manner that will prevent further contamination. The highest priority must be to protect the health and safety of the building occupants and remediators.

The purpose of mold remediation is to correct the moisture problem and to remove moldy and contaminated materials to prevent human exposure and further damage to building materials and furnishings. As a general rule, simply killing the mold, for example, with biocide is not enough. The mold must be removed, since the chemicals and proteins, which can cause a reaction in humans, are present even in dead mold. Porous materials that are wet and have mold growing on them may have to be discarded because molds can infiltrate porous substances and grow on or fill in empty spaces or crevices.

Building materials and furnishings contaminated with mold growth that are not salvageable are placed in sealed impermeable bags or closed containers while in the remediation area, then later discarded as ordinary construction waste.
Close up of mold under the kitchen sink.